Title: W-A-T-E-R
Author: kirin-saga (known years ago as Cheysuli-Night)
Pairing: IruKaka
A/N: Written for the mini bingo challenge on the KakaIru LJ community. This one is for the Wild Card; I decided it should be Water (actually, I wrote this before remembering Water wasn't on the card to begin with).

Summary: Iruka learns to understand his new boyfriend a little better. AU.

Iruka watched as Kakashi stepped cautiously into the slow flowing creek and wondered what he was doing here. He didn't know this man, had only met him two days ago, and all he knew about Namikaze Kakashi were the stories Naruto told him. Naruto only had good things to say about his big brother but that didn't change the face that all Iruka knew about the man he had to pretend to love was that he had been adopted as a baby, he liked dogs, and had been born blind and deaf.

'And there lies the cause of all this,' Iruka thought as he kicked off his shoes and waded into the knee high water. Kakashi paused in his exploration as he felt the waves from Iruka's footsteps his legs and turned unseeing eyes in Iruka's general direction. Iruka couldn't help but smile at him, despite how out of his depth he felt. Kakashi was beautiful and under any other circumstances, Iruka could easily find himself falling in love with him. As it was, he felt he didn't have a choice in the matter, trapped by Naruto's scheme to avoid being put into foster care now that his and Kakashi's father had died.

This outing had been Naruto's idea as well. Iruka and Kakashi had to know each other well enough to fool social services into believing they were in a committed relationship because no one believed a deaf-blind man could raise a child alone, or even look after himself without help. Iruka didn't believe it either, which was the main reason he had agreed to Naruto's plan.

Just days after meeting Kakashi, Iruka still didn't know how to ask what he thought of all this. All Iruka knew how to sign was 'yes' and 'no'. He had to be able to carry on a full conversation with Kakashi by Friday. That was five days away. Iruka didn't think they could pull it off.

Iruka started slightly when he felt Kakashi's hand slap lightly against his arm and returned his attention to the other man. He watched curiously as Kakashi stepped up beside him, trailing his slender fingers down Iruka's arm until he reached his hand. Now very curious and slightly confused as he didn't think they were really at the hand holding stage, Iruka made no protest as Kakashi took his hand and pulled him down to kneel in the water.

Kakashi signed something in his hand, using simple finger spelling, but Iruka didn't understand. "What does-" he started to ask before realizing he was being stupid and grabbed Kakashi's other hand and brought it to his face as Naruto had showed him. Speaking slowly so Kakashi could feel the words, he asked again, "What does that mean?"

Kakashi smiled and pulled Iruka's hand underwater, signing again slowly. After a few repetitions, Iruka got it. "Water," Iruka breathed, Kakashi's other hand still on his face. "It spells water." Kakashi beamed at him and Iruka felt his heart flutter.

Maybe this wasn't so impossible after all.

A/N: This fic was inspired by Helen Keller, who became blind and deaf as a child due to an illness. Water was the first word she learned.